Friends in Need
by sunshinesplat
Summary: What happens when new friends meet with old friends? A new detective brings life to the squad and an old friend brings about an old flame.
1. Chapter 1

It had been two years since Olivia had last seen Elliot, not that she hadn't thought about him nearly every day. Sometimes it was involuntary, a memory quickly jumping into her mind, so vivid it was almost as if he had never left. But then she looked around the squad room and it was painfully apparent that he was gone and life had moved on. She wore his medal and his badge honorably, the way he should be remembered; but he isn't dead.

Today had been uneventful by the SVU unit of measure, and she hated the feeling that the other shoe was about to drop. Not quite knowing what to do with herself and down time, she took the unmarked car to Central Park for a quick walk around. Despite being the place where she saw so many grisly murders there was serenity about the park that she loved and couldn't quite escape from. Coming close to the volleyball courts, she stopped to watch a lively game when her heart stopped cold. Playing in a light green t-shirt and cargo shorts was Elliot, a huge smile plastered on his face as he dove for the ball and scored a point.

His team gave him high fives all around, but he was punched in the shoulder by a petite woman, maybe five foot two with a short, dark, razor edged bob haircut; not unlike the one she had sported around the time Eli was born. He shoved her back and she leaned into a punch and got him in the arm; Olivia could almost hear her giggles from where she was standing. Anger sparked in her heart, if he was here all this time why not call her? Sadness started creeping in because he didn't want to talk to her, twelve years of being inseparable best friends, family for goodness sake and he didn't want to let her know he was okay, more than okay from the looks of it. Confusion because he was obviously hitting on this girl (where was Kathy?), and she was flirting back which made her blood boil. Not because she had feelings, no never, but because who was this girl who thought she could just lay claim to Elliot like that? He wasn't her partner for years; he didn't wipe up her blood or sew together her broken family life, she didn't talk Elliot's wife into staying with him time after time…The thought crashed on her like ice water: what if they had?

She had no idea what he had been up to for the past two years, and that was a long time to be silent. They seemed so at ease with each other, playing back and forth, smiling and fighting. It dawned on her that that was what their relationship had looked like from the outside. She had so many white hot feelings that she felt her mind shutting down; she wasn't going to allow herself to be emotional about this right now. Snapping into detective mode she hid behind a small shrub and watched as the game concluded with Elliot's team winning triumphantly. She couldn't believe how easily he was just walking through his life, unmarred by the fact that her life had been tumbled and shredded by his departure.

The two of them gathered their gear and walked toward the path leading out towards the street. In a split second decision she ran towards the car and hoped that she could catch them and not be spotted. Gone was practical, logical Benson. She was replaced by Olivia, woman and best friend to a man named Elliot. Curiosity was overtaking her. She followed them, three car lengths behind all the way to Queens. Elliot and the woman both got out of the car in front of a small, red brick duplex. Elliot leaned down and they hugged, skin to skin. Elliot let her go and gave her a light tap on her cheek, walked back to his car and drove away. The woman watched his car drive away but instead of turning to go inside, she started walking across the street. Olivia's heart picked up speed; she had been completely invisible to the civilian eye. Maybe the woman was going to get a drink, or eat; but closer and closer she came to the car.

Up close the woman looked so young, like one of Elliot's daughters. She walked right up to the car window and in a smooth, even voice asked

"Do you want to tell me why you have been following me ever since my volleyball game?"

Olivia kept a blank face, she wasn't intimidated easily. She held up her officers' badge and didn't say a word, expecting that to officially end the conversation. The woman laughed a little

"Oh okay. That's funny, I have one of those too" and she pulled out a badge from the side pocket of her gym bag.

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows; this wasn't what she was expecting at all. She took a deep breath and introduced herself

"I'm Olivia Benson, Manhattan SVU. And, you are?"

The woman reached her hand into the car, meeting Olivia's in mid air.

"I'm Gemma Garvin, Queens SVU, nice to meet you. Want to go get a coffee?"

Gemma? What kind of name was that? How old was this girl, she was a detective? Fighting off petty jealousy, she nodded.

"My café is down the street, we should walk"

Her tone was welcoming, but held authority in it, like a true cop. Olivia felt her muscles tense at being on the receiving end of a cop trick. Two could play that game. Small frame, short stature, how could this girl keep up with a perp? She had to have a massive partner to cover her slack. Olivia silently sized her up as they walked down the street; she was nearly half a foot taller than her. They walked into the café, a small hole in the wall with modern art on the walls, the tables all small and color blocked.

"Black coffee?" Gemma questioned in her direction.

"Yeah, poison of my choosing" Olivia tried to joke.

"Me too, makes me feel more manly" she gave a small smile and placed the order.

Olivia knew she could feel her silent judgments roll over her like waves. Why did this girl seem so familiar to her? They sat down, neither one willing to break the ice first.

"So?" Gemma proposed, not seeming at all flustered. Maybe it was an act, maybe not.

"So?" Olivia reciprocated.

"You're very good detective, I almost didn't see you. I wouldn't have if you had kept your staring in check at the park". She smiled and looked away while drinking her coffee.

"Well, I thought that I saw someone I knew" Olivia replied, that was general enough.

"You didn't think, you knew" Gemma stated, cold fact.

"Okay" Olivia tried to cover her tracks, this was a downhill fight and she wasn't used to being at the bottom.

"I'm not mad, or weirded out. I'm just curious, Olivia" she changed her tone to soft and understanding, the victim voice.

"I'm not your victim!" Olivia bristled.

"Oh I know that, I never said that. You're smart, beautiful, and full of secrets. That's why Elliot talks about you all the time" she sat back, knowing full well the intent that her words had.

So Elliot had talked about her? As in multiple times? Wait, this woman knew who she was the whole time? Olivia felt her anger rising up that she had played right into her game, fell for a cop bait and switch. Gemma continued

"Before you get really angry, I swear that I wasn't trying to bait you. I just knew that if I confronted you, you would probably run me over…or run away. I didn't want that, so I'm sorry"

Olivia took a good, hard look at her: big green eyes, framed by black lashes, pale skin with a long slender nose and lips that didn't even need gloss. She was cute, innocent and misleading. Worst of all, she was smart and witty.

"Do you want a picture, detective?" sarcasm was headed her way.

Olivia took a deep breath "I'm sorry Gemma, it's just a lot for me right now. I wasn't even sure that Elliot was still in the city, and then I just stumble onto him?"

She stopped talking, and decided that she didn't want to talk about him anymore.

"It's fine" Gemma stared into her eyes, a knowing look seeping into her eyes. Olivia felt that she knew how deep their relationship went, a mutual understanding between them, a link.

"How old are you Gemma?" Olivia shot from the hip, without flinching Gemma responded

"Twenty eight". She raised her eyebrow, daring Olivia to say something.

"Really young for a detective…" the question hung there, begging Gemma to brag or deprecate.

"Yeah" and that was the end of that. Olivia wanted desperately to know how Elliot was doing, his kids, what he was doing for a job; but she couldn't let her know that; even though she knew that Gemma already did.

"We could be friends detective…I feel that you don't have many" she spoke it softly, no judgment or accusation.

Olivia knew that was true, even if she didn't want to admit it. She wasn't going to get closer to Elliot without this woman, and she wasn't even sure that she was ready to see Elliot again.

"Yeah, you're right" Olivia allowed herself to laugh and handed Gemma her card, and got one in return.

"Nice to meet you, I have an early morning, you know" she stood up and shook Olivia's hand.

"You too Gemma".


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia didn't tell anyone at the precinct what happened to her nearly two weeks ago. She was still processing all of her feelings. She was an introvert, and most of the time didn't want to assess her feelings anymore than she had to. Somehow, admitting to her feelings made her feel weak. She knew this was one of the downfalls that she and Elliot had together; they both bottled up their feelings even though they both knew that it was such a destructive cycle.

"Detective Benson?!" a cheery voice called out through the squad room around lunchtime. The voice was so out of place, despite her alto tone, Gemma's childish disposition set her instantly apart from the Manhattan SVU squad. All eyes swiveled to the entrance where Gemma stood with an arm full of bags.

"Gemma, hey, what are you doing here?" Olivia tried to sound inviting but it was kind of difficult when her old life and a new life were converging into one.

"Well, I was beginning to think that you didn't really want to be friends with me, so I brought you guys lunch, don't worry it's on me".

She smiled and handed Olivia a small bag from Sal's, in Queens. A cheer rose up from the crowd, especially Nick.

"Benson, where you been hiding your friend at?" he walked up with his usual bravado and shook her hand "Hey, Gemma, I'm detective Nick Amaro"

Gemma smiled "Nice to meet you Nick".

Amanda came over to get a hoagie from the bag and introduced herself. Olivia noticed that Gemma never brought up the fact that she was a detective. Fin came over, gave Gemma a small stare down which she returned no question asked.

"You're alright" he gave her a head nod. She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I knew that I would be around here interviewing a suspect, and I just wanted to make peace, okay? No hard feelings, I have such a terrible conscience" she said this with an aloofness that belied the fact that she probably didn't sleep most nights. Olivia knew the feeling all too well. She could see the beginnings of dark circles under Gemma's eyes.

The captain walked out of his office, after hearing a slight commotion.

"Someone care to tell me what's going on?" he could never be too careful with this crew

"Hi, Captain Cragen? I'm Detective Gemma Garvin, Queens SVU. Nice to meet you!" she stretched out her hand, smile splattered all across her face. Captain Cragen looked taken aback, shaking her hand. Everyone looked around in confusion as the Captain sized up Gemma.

"You're detective Garvin? It's a pleasure to meet you" the captain offered a small smile, but nothing could hide the reverence in his voice.

"I brought everyone lunch, trying to make friends with detective Benson" Gemma winked and handed him a bag.

"Well, Olivia you would do well to be friends with detective Garvin; she took a bullet for her partner last year, has a ninety seven percent closure rate and is one of the youngest detectives on the force. Glad to have you in our precinct" he patted her on the back and turned to go back into his office.

"You never told me that" Olivia said to her.

"You never gave me much of a chance, stalking me and all" she whispered the last part so no one else could hear.

"Okay, you're right. I don't have many friends but still, normal people don't do this" Olivia was always questioning motive, and this girl had one.

"You're so jaded my friend. Okay, honestly, I just want you to like me. I know that's sad and dumb, but I never admitted to be smart. Someone else trusts me; I think that you should too".

Gemma had laid her cards out on the table. Olivia knew that she was reaching out for some help, a friend in this world of grey and red and injustice. Being friends always meant leaving yourself open to being hurt and a whole world of pain. Olivia knew in that moment that this woman was brought into her life for some reason and she needed to take it.

They spent a lunch hour starting a friendship, each tap dancing around the real issue that was hiding in plain sight.

"I hate these puzzles, all created to make the masses feel like they are controlled by a far superior intellect" Munch came striding in holding a crossword puzzle. Olivia watched a smile tug at the corners of Gemma's mouth.

Munch motioned at Gemma with his eyes and Olivia introduced her.

"It's a pleasure to meet one of New York's up and coming finest officers" Munch smiled at her, shaking her hand. Olivia swore that for the first time in a long time there was a light in his eye, but she could be imagining things.

"You flatter me. Can I see your puzzle?" she asked sweetly, too sweetly.

Munch handed her the paper, she stood close to him, holding the pen in her left hand. Everyone was watching as she stared at the page; she seemed to have that effect on people.

"I can fix this for you. See here, you have cavernous? Switch it to commodious, and then orbital will fit here. Simple enough, let me know if you ever want help fixing another one" she winked and handed him the paper, winking at his utterly confused expression. Fin whistled under his breath as Gemma walked out the door with a wave.

"Interesting choice of friends Liv" Rollins commented once she was safely out of earshot.

"I'm not so sure I picked her" Olivia shook her head as a woman entered the precinct with a torn shirt and blood dripping out of her nose.


	3. Chapter 3

"Gemma Garvin, open up!" Elliot pounded on her door with a pizza in his hands.

He really enjoyed hanging out with Gemma. She kept him in check when he was having a bad day and missing his kids. She was young and still wasn't jaded by all the injustice; she didn't have a family yet to ignore and lose and hopefully she never would. At first Elliot was attracted to her because she was the first woman he had spent any time with after he and Kathy officially called it quits. She was strong, opinionated, and intuitive and despite being blunt to the point of rudeness she was so happy all the time that you just had to like her. She reminded him so much of Olivia that at first he was treating her like Liv, and he felt an automatic closeness to her that wasn't authentic.

He actually talked to her about Olivia, he was trying to be more open with his feelings (he felt silly even admitting that) and he felt he was getting closer and closer to being able to let Liv back into his life like he so desperately wanted; but he wanted to be fair to her this time. He was never fair to her before, and he needed to be this time around.

"Keep your pants on!" Gemma yelled coming to the door and punching him in the shoulder.

"What a funny choice of words" he gave her his signature smirk and kicked his shoes off in her entryway.

"You're a huge douche bag" she continued following him into the kitchen and eating the pizza straight from the box.

"What are you an animal? Use a plate" he kept up their banter

"My house my rules, I don't want to wash dishes" she smiled at him and downed the first piece in record time.

"What do you want to do tonight?" he asked, grabbing a beer from her fridge "Ugh, don't you have anything other than Blue Moon" He was a Corona kind of man.

"Because my life doesn't revolve around you, jerk. Drink water" she smiled and opened a beer herself.

They sat on the couch, and Gemma listened to Elliot brag about Eli's newest accomplishment in t-ball and how his oldest daughter was thriving as a third grade teacher. He was so adorable when he bragged about his kids. Gemma knew that he wasn't used to talking about himself. He was trying so hard to get his life back on track; she could tell that he really loved Olivia, even if he didn't know how to express it himself. She was getting sleepy, and she knew what would make Elliot really happy. He loved to tell stories about when he and Olivia were partners; he made them sound like superheroes.

"Tell me another story about you and her" Gemma didn't even bother to use a name, Elliot would know.

He laughed "Why do you like them so much?" he smiled and she knew he was going to give in.

"I don't know, you guys were like superheroes; it gives me something to aspire to"

"Alright, you're worse than my six year old…" he pretended to be annoyed but she knew he loved telling her these stories. He started off with a new story, when he got head butted by a crazy guy and lost his sight for a while and how he had been told by the old ADA that Olivia was on the warpath to protect him. He concluded by sadly saying

"She always protected me, but she never wanted me to know. She always did it behind my back, or maybe it was out in the open and I was too selfish to see it. She had a hard time showing people she cared, so did I. What a pair we were…"

She put her hand on his knee "It's going to be okay, just trust me"

He rolled his eyes "Alright, sure. I'll see you soon, Eli has a practice early in the morning and it's my turn to take him".

As soon as he was out the door, Gemma pulled out her phone and texted Olivia

"Just heard about you for a few hours…want to know what he said?"

In less than a minute the response was "Yes, tomorrow, lunch in the park".

Olivia picked up salads and waited on some benches in the park. Who was she kidding; she was so nervous and excited to hear what Elliot had to say about her after nearly two years apart. They were being brought back together by this random girl who kept working her way into Olivia's life.

"Hey, how are you today?" an increasingly familiar voice came from over her shoulder and she felt a rush of air as Gemma sat down beside her.

"I just worked two non-stop days and I'm exhausted. You?"

She had been functioning on three hours of sleep and her nerves were on edge. Plus, it didn't help that Gemma looked well rested and refreshed.

"Sorry, will it help to know that Elliot talks about you two like you were superheroes?" her expression was hopeful as she dug into her salad.

Olivia laughed but didn't say anything while they ate together in silence. Sometimes silence was better than words.

"Oh, Munch gave me this to give to you" she handed her a crossword puzzle with a few spots not filled in.

Gemma laughed, looked it over, filled in the words quickly and wrote on the margin "I think that this was a half-hearted attempt to get to talk to me. You're capable of much better, Sargeant" and she signed her name, and number, complete with a winking face.

"Munch hasn't shown any interest in anyone in years. Be careful" Olivia advised her, a tone of warning behind the good natured advice.

"Yeah, I will"

"Want to do something Friday night?" Olivia asked her as they threw away their garbage.

"Sure, drinks and a movie?" that was fun and there was enough stuff to keep the conversation flowing and keep the situation from feeling awkward.

"Great, let's have a night in, come to my apartment" Olivia wrote down her address and waved goodbye feeling better than she had earlier. Maybe the kid wasn't so bad after all.

"Munch, here" Olivia handed him back the paper that Gemma had finished.

He smiled "She's different, isn't she?"

Olivia looked at Munch, a small grin still hanging around on his face "Yeah, different".

"Do you think it's ridiculous for me to…follow up on this?" he asked her, letting down his wall for once.

"I don't know, she's really young. There's something there though, she has a dark side I'm sure" Olivia was trying to be supportive but she didn't want to see Munch hurt.

He nodded, put his hand on her shoulder and walked away. He wasn't sure what to think, but he was well aware of what he was feeling. The moment that she winked at him, showing both brain and beauty, he was caught. If she didn't want him, that was okay, he just had to give it a shot.


	4. Chapter 4

"First boyfriend?" Gemma asked Olivia over a glass of wine that Friday night.

"I was fifteen, you?" Olivia was actually having a good time doing girl talk.

"I met my first boyfriend when I was fifteen, and we were together until I graduated college…he wasn't a good guy, and it took me a long time to see it. I wasn't going to live my life under someone else's control" her face was flooded with pain for one fleeting second then it was covered up by a nervous laugh.

"You broke up with him that took a lot of guts" Olivia offered her

"Don't go all detective on me. I was tired of being told what to do, and of being hit when I didn't listen. I'm just mad at myself that it took me that long. Anyway, can we talk about something else, it's kinda killing my buzz" she asked, her voice sounding older than she was.

"Okay, what about your family?" Olivia offered

"Oh boy, that's even worse. My dad died when I was ten, and my mom was always a raging alcoholic. I'm an only child, it's better that way. I moved out when I was sixteen, I stayed with obliging friends who felt bad for me and got a full scholarship to Columbia. Your turn, more wine?" she winked and topped off the glass.

Olivia was rendered speechless. This girl had almost the exact same upbringing as her, and she was coming to see that they weren't really that different. They both ran away from their problems, pretended to be stronger than they really were out of necessity, and they had the same man in common. She cleared her throat

"Well, my mom decided to keep me even though she was…raped. She was also as you said a 'raging alcoholic' and I never knew my dad. I couldn't stand living at home and was so happy when I left for college. I never looked back". She watched Gemma's face for a sign of anything and received acceptance and understanding.

"Want to eat ice cream?" Gemma was already halfway across the room, retrieving the quart of Ben and Jerry's that she had brought.

"Now you're talking my language" Olivia grabbed a spoon and they dug in straight from the container.

"Do you sleep?" Gemma asked her quietly.

"Sometimes" Olivia answered honestly.

"Does it ever get better?" Gemma was looking at the floor, the slightest tremble in her voice.

"Yeah, once you have people to share it with" Olivia put a hand on her shoulder and got a smile.

"I knew that you would like me if you gave me a chance" Gemma laughed

"I never disliked you, I just was blindsided at seeing Elliot…and well…how comfortable you two looked. I just realized that he and I used to look like that" She looked down at the floor, her eyes glazing over but it was gone in a heartbeat.

"I wasn't going to tell you this…but I feel like I should. Or, maybe it's the alcohol, or my bleeding heart…Promise you won't punch me?" Gemma looked at her new friend expectantly

"Okay, I promise" Olivia waited, not sure what to expect.

"When I first met Elliot, he was on the rebound from Kathy. I didn't want to date anyone seriously; we just hung out a few times. The one night we started kissing…it was such a rough case that day and I was kind of lonely and he was saying all the right things because he knew about it and we were about to move things to my room, you know…and he leaned into my ear and whispered 'You're so beautiful Liv'. I don't care how you try to swing it, there's no way you could confuse my name with Liv. I wasn't mad, but I did make him tell me who that was and the floodgates opened"… She was talking faster and faster towards the end and she was tapping her fingers against the countertop.

Olivia sat staring straight ahead, an unreadable expression on her face. They sat there in silence for a few minutes which felt like hours.

"Olivia? Please, say something" Gemma instantly regretted telling her that

"Um…I just don't know what to do with that. I'm just at a loss" her voice was a little shaky and lacking the confidence she usually oozed.

Gemma searched her face and found confusion, hurt and something else…what was it? Happiness, pride, lust?

"Was I wrong to tell you that? I didn't mean to upset you" she apologized

"No, you weren't wrong. There's just a lot there…"

And by a lot, she meant Brian. They had been dating for a while and things were great; had Olivia heard this stuff about Elliot when she was single she would have been elated, but now she was torn. Elliot had been the biggest part of her life for years, and it was a cruel fact that she wasn't always the biggest part of his. She just wanted her best friend back, and she was willing to go through basically anything to get there.

"Do you sleep with the tv on?" Olivia made her way to the couch and pulled out the mattress.

"Can't sleep without it" Gemma answered quietly and settled into the mountain of blankets she had brought with her.

"I never had sleepovers when I was growing up, it's kinda nice" Olivia offered as she walked to her bedroom

"Yeah, it is" Gemma smiled and turned off the light, trying to let the background noise of sitcoms soothe her relentless mind.


	5. Chapter 5

"Get out of here, you never would do that!" Gemma was cracking up while walking through the park with Olivia a few weeks later.

"I swear, after that I never had sex in public again it was so…" Olivia had been laughing but she stopped and stood still.

Gemma looked around and saw what had made her quiet. Elliot was walking directly towards them in loose jeans and a t-shirt. Eli was walking beside him, his blonde curls bouncing. His eyes were just like Elliot's and they lit up when he saw Gemma.

"Gemma! Let's play, let's play, let's play!" he ran up to her, gave her a high five and pulled her toward the swing set. Gemma smiled, tossing a glance towards the two of them. She figured they would need some time alone, and Eli didn't need to see this.

Olivia's heart was racing; she didn't know what to say. She was mad as hell, but she couldn't help but feeling joy at seeing him. His expression was happy, but her expression must have been dark because he sobered up immediately.

"Hey Liv" he whispered when they were standing inches apart.

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes, and she mentally cursed herself for showing how emotional she was at seeing him. His voice brought back memories upon memories, unwanted feelings that she couldn't deal with. She felt herself shaking, not sure what to do. He raised his arm and put his hand on her shoulder, like he had done so many times before, exactly when she needed it. She took a deep breath and swung as hard as she could, her right fist solidly connecting with his jaw.

"It's not okay Elliot!" she screamed at him, as he rubbed his jaw; he would have a huge bruise within the hour. He hung his head and started to say something but she stopped him

"No, you don't get to talk now! You had two years to talk to me, and did you? No! You left me all alone, the one person who swore on his life to protect me, and you just left! I would have helped you; I would never have left you. Always faithful, remember? Even to the point of stupidity, that's me. I was always there for you El, even when your own wife wasn't. You were my family, the one person who I told everything to and all of the sudden it was gone…" She had so much more to say but the tears stopped her words. She hated crying, she was too strong for that.

He was taking a risk by doing this; he knew she could take him down if she wanted to. He closed the distance between the two of them, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her tight and resting his head against hers

"I'm so sorry Liv. I'm just so sorry" he kept whispering into her ear. She kept crying, allowing herself to feel for him for the first time in years. This was complicated, it always was. She always left when she felt her feelings getting too real, she was tired of running. She thought Brian was her answer, a drunken one night stand all those years ago to model boyfriend now. But now, standing with Elliot, even though she was tap dancing the line between hugging him and killing him she realized she didn't want to be anywhere else.

He pulled back a little to look at her, tears still freely running down her face. He knew how few times she let herself cry, and it was tearing at him that he had done this.

"I thought I was helping you…" he muttered, touching his forehead to hers

"No, you really didn't. You're an idiot" she closed her eyes, and couldn't disguise the ease in which she slipped into conversation with him even after all these years apart.

"I want to fix it…"

"You better"

They stood staring at each other until one of them moved away and they started walking towards the swing set, stride still in sync.


	6. Chapter 6

"Kennedy assassination?" Munch questioned her at their impromptu dinner on a busy street bench the following week.

"Pretty sure it was planned by a higher up…he was doing too much too fast" Gemma replied, using her chin, she pointed out a guy with a purple fedora across the street "How about that guy?"

"I agree, he would have been the best president. Hhmm…Undercover ops infiltrating vegan terrorists. Her?" He was looking at a frumpy housewife walking her child on a leash backpack

"That's a good one. She came to New York from Jersey thinking it would be glamorous, but it's actually quite sad because she has found out she isn't as put together as she thought".

They had been playing this game for well over an hour, sitting on the bench simply watching people walk by, their presence unnoticed amongst the swell of people on a busy Saturday morning. With each turn they tried to outdo the other with the idiocy of the story they were telling.

"Dream vacation?" he asked, taking a sip of his fig milkshake

"If I wanted to take a vacation to ease my mind I would love to go to a resort in Mexico or Florida…If I was to go somewhere to use my brain it would be New Mexico to hang around area 51, I know that sounds silly and it's a secure area but still…."

She loved the controversy surrounding aliens, government cover-ups and overall conspiracy. She had considered making a ploy for the CIA but felt a calling towards helping the less fortunate even though it meant no glamour at all.

"No, it doesn't sound silly at all. You're a very smart woman" he smiled at her

"So, what's your story? Why are you still single?" she had heard rumors about Munch but she wanted to hear it from him

"Honestly, I made bad choices. I married women who couldn't care less about me, maybe it's better to be single than to be hurt" he looked away while he said this; he wasn't used to being serious about his life. He usually hid his insecurities with jokes.

"Bad choices usually mean you don't care enough about yourself to make better ones" she stated, agreeing to the unspoken no eye contact rule.

"A very succinct judgment. I can hardly believe that someone as beautiful as you can be so intelligent" he raised his eyebrow

"Then you obviously haven't been hanging around the right type of women, Sargeant. Don't put me in a box because I'm not afraid to be alone" her tone was razor sharp and her walls immediately went up.

He turned to her and put his hand on her knee "Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I like talking to you and I would like to continue doing that, if you would like to".

She smiled, feeling her heart pick up and her stomach do an involuntary flip flop.

"Don't play with me. Are you asking me out on another date, because you should just say that. Shoot straight with me because I'll know when you lie and I won't let it slide" She didn't play around when it came to potential love.

Munch was intrigued and he really wanted to kiss her; what could he say, he loved being challenged. In hindsight, maybe that was the problem. There was just something different about this woman, he wanted to get to know her better, and soon.

"Got it. Would you like to take a walk? I really want to finish our game" he stood up and offered her his arm

"What a gentleman" she smiled and nestled into his side.


	7. Chapter 7

"Come on Liv, you can do better than that" Elliot was trash talking her as they played a game of basketball on the court by her apartment.

"Shut up and watch me kick your ass" she teased him back as she dribbled around him and shot the basket, watching it swish.

She raised her arms up and did a victory dance in front of him. He started laughing and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder

"Elliot! I'm going to kill you! Put me down!" she punched the back of his shoulder and felt him throw her down onto the ground. He fell down beside her laughing.

"I'm glad we're hanging out again" he admitted, his face only an inch from hers.

"Yeah, me too" she smiled, relaxing against him

"How's Brian?" he asked, hoping that he sounded sincere. He didn't want to test the waters when things were going so well between them.

"He's fine. He really hates being a uni. We're a good couple" she was skating around the real answer. The real answer was that Brian was upset that she was hanging out with Elliot again, that his re-entrance into her life had thrown the balance of their relationship completely off. He wouldn't say that he felt threatened by Elliot, but she knew he did.

"It's cool that you don't want to tell me the truth" Elliot looked away from her, jabbing her in the arm.

"What do you want me to say? He's afraid of me hanging out with you again" she had laid it all out there.

"He shouldn't be so insecure" Elliot stated.

"Yeah…" she was careful with what she said next. She was questioning everything in her life and she didn't want to burn any bridges quite yet.

"Come on, let's go get dinner" he jumped up and pulled her to her feet.

She held onto his forearms, the two of them locked into one of their famous stare downs

"El, I'm still mad at you for treating me like crap for years…but you're my best friend, always" she whispered this, afraid of how much emotion she was conveying; completely putting herself at risk again.

"I'm so sorry Liv, you didn't deserve it. I'll never treat you that way again, I swear to God" he was so sincere, she hadn't heard him be this open with her since after Gitano.

"Let's go eat, your treat" she winked and pulled him out into the sidewalk.

"How's Elliot?" Gemma asked her with a smile on her face.

"Stop it. I'm glad to have my best friend back" Olivia shot back

"Okay, we'll go with that for now" Gemma tipped her glass back, successfully evading Olivia's death glare

"I have a boyfriend…" Olivia said more to herself than anyone else.

"It's just never the right time…until it is" Gemma spoke cryptically to her

"I'm supposed to be at your precinct in the morning, let me stay over at your place?"

"What for? Of course you can" Olivia changed her tone when she realized how that sounded

"Your guess is as good as mine, let's go, all the creeps are coming in" she cast a wary glance at the two guys who had just entered in and were eyeing them up.


	8. Chapter 8

"Garvin, Benson, you two are on special assignment together. Garvin, don't give me that look I've already cleared it with your captain. Your partner was none too happy to give you up, but we need all the man power we can get" Cragen spoke to all of them in the conference room that morning.

"What's happening Cap?" Fin asked as they gathered around the tv screens for a debriefing.

"We've got a serial rapist; he's hitting all the boroughs, never staying in one long enough to get caught. I'm sure you've heard of him Garvin, he comes out in the early morning and strikes while they're getting ready?"

Gemma nodded with the utmost contempt on her face "I almost had him one time, he snuck around the corner and cold cocked me, left me unconscious. We better catch him this time"

"You seem to get hurt a lot" Nick offered

She laughed "Nothing I can't handle"

"We got this" Olivia smiled, a look of determination growing in her eyes.

Cragen looked around happy to see them all working together "Well, get to it then, time's wasting".


	9. Chapter 9

"Josh Robinson, open up!" Olivia pounded on the door the next day after a series of tips and witnesses had panned out. They were outside of a brownstone waiting for the door to open; Gemma turned the handle after a few seconds of silence and it opened easily. That usually was not a good sign. A calm voice came from a few rooms away "Only Olivia and Gemma come in or else everyone dies". They looked back at Munch, Fin, Rollins and Amaro, signaling that it was okay so the four remaining detectives went to surround the house and position themselves if anything went wrong.

They walked through the white entryway and turned a corner and were not prepared at all for what they saw there. Elliot and Brian had nooses tied around their necks and were standing on kitchen chairs while a young man stood beside them with a mean looking revolver. He was young, not yet thirty and had an unruly crop of red hair. He laughed when he saw the girls' faces; they hadn't been able to keep up a poker face when rounding the corner and seeing their men tied up.

"What's going on Josh" Gemma ventured, looking him in his glassy, detached eyes.

"You found me. You shouldn't have done that" he smiled, tightening his grip on the revolver.

"You don't have to do this you know" she tried to talk him down even though she knew it was fruitless.

"Yes I do. I never had any choices in my life, never was able to say no so I became what I hated. Now, I'm going to make you choose" he pointed at Olivia "You. I know all about you, I've been following you just like you've been following me. You say you love this one" he pointed at Cassidy "but you're in love with this one, you're just a liar" and he tapped Elliot's chair with his foot. "So you're going to choose right now which one lives and which one dies"

Olivia's face was calm, but Gemma saw her hand twitch toward her gun

"I wouldn't do that. Put the gun down or you all die. You too" he pointed the gun at them as they discharged and dropped their weapons on the ground and kicked them towards him.

"I can't do this" Olivia whispered.

"What's that? You can't?" he laughed "It would be so easy to just knock both chairs over and spare you the trouble" he gave each chair a slight push and Olivia watched in horror as their bodies stiffened at the wobble of the chairs.

Elliot made a noise, since his mouth was covered and motioned to Brian and nodded yes. He was going to take the sacrifice.

"No El, I can't. We've been through this before" she said to Gemma.

Brian was silent and pleading with Olivia through his eyes. She didn't know what to do. At first she knew she should choose Brian, but she couldn't just give up on all that Elliot meant to her. It was the worst situation she could imagine being put into and she already had to do it before and now here it was again.

Gemma glanced up toward a window behind Josh's head and saw it was slightly open but to get a shot at him all people needed to be out of the way. She made a decision.

"How about this, you get a cop. You get me. Trade me for them" her voice was calm and steady as she prepared to meet her fate.

Both men grunted and shook their heads as far as the noose would let them.

"Gemma no, you can't. You're so young, let me" Olivia put her hand on her arm but Josh was already walking towards her.

"What's the catch?" he whispered in her ear.

"No catch. Let them down, and put me up" the words were no sooner out of her mouth and he had her by the wrists, easily overpowering her.

He stood her in front of Elliot and hit her as hard as he could across the face. He was trying to get a rise out of Elliot, but it didn't work. She shook it off but he grabbed her arm, twisted it around her back and smoothly snapped her wrist backwards. Gemma bit her lip, drawing blood and immediately threw up. Olivia felt sick watching her friend get tortured right in front of her and not being able to do anything.

"See, you had a choice Olivia. But you couldn't make it, and your friend is paying the price" his tone was dark and implied that he had far more in mind.

He slipped the noose off of Brian's neck but left his hands and feet bound; he fell hard to the floor. Elliot was next, lying helpless beside Brian.

"Get up there" he commanded Gemma. She got up as best as she could, Olivia noticed that she used the far right chair, and was standing almost on the edge of the chair…as far away from the window as she could. A light went off in Olivia's head as she glanced up at the window and saw Nick taking aim. Her heart raced an extra beat, he wouldn't think twice about taking Gemma out if there was even a hope of a shot.

Josh was getting cocky; he tied up Gemma and asked her "You like the dark haired one more don't you? Elliot is more important to you"

Gemma didn't do anything, which Josh took for a yes and swung for a second punch to her face. Josh turned around and was walking the three feet to where Elliot was and in that second a shot rang out and he fell to the ground with a clean shot to the chest. Gemma immediately loosened up and relief washed over her face as police swarmed the building.

Munch was at Gemma's side as fast as he could get in the building, untying her wrists, ankles and mouth. He pulled her into a hug, being careful not to touch her wrist which was bent at a grotesque angle. Olivia saw her smile, look up at him and he kissed her forehead.

Olivia ran over to the middle of her men and helped untie Brian since Elliot already had a uni helping him. Brian jumped up and hugged her, she felt relief but also an unsettling feeling. He let her go and she turned to Elliot who pulled her into a bone crushing hug. She stood between them, none of them saying a word.

"You couldn't pick" Brian finally said, not meeting her eyes.

"It's okay Liv, we know" Elliot seconded.

"I just…couldn't" she stammered. How could she choose between the man she had been seeing for a year, who declared his love and commitment to her with her best friend, her family, her partner who had protected her for twelve years? She knew in her heart which one she had chosen, she was just afraid to speak it out loud. She tried to keep the guilt off of her face, but Brian knew better.

"I think we all know who you had chosen. Garvin knew too" he gave Olivia a kiss on the cheek and walked away.

"Liv, come on. Let's get you home, IAB can wait" Elliot put his arms around her shoulder, comfort and support, and walked her past the dead body of the man who had made her finally decide on a future.

The ride to Olivia's apartment was comfortably silent. The time after such a traumatic event was always strange; everything is moving on just as it did before but the feeling is so different because no one else has realized that your life was almost over. Suddenly, you are aware of the finite and that everything will keep moving on with or without you; it was very sobering.

"You changed it up a little" Elliot tried to make small talk as they walked in.

"Yeah, I needed it" she admitted.

"Do you want tea, or food? I can get whatever you want…" he was quiet, and the world was quiet and it was just them.

"You know I'll always choose you. I hate that, but I can't hate it at the same time. It's always been us, and it will always be us" Olivia's soul felt lighter finally admitting that. She didn't even feel like she believed it until she said it. That is the problem with repressing feelings for years, you never know if they're real until one minute they bubble out from the surface and surprise you. She was constantly surprised by her feelings and by how strongly she felt when she let it happen.

"I know. It's about time we stopped fighting it. I'm scared to death" his voice was gravelly, that's how she knew he was truly affected.

"Me too. Don't leave me, ever again. I couldn't take it" she offered herself a rare moment of insecurity and was rewarded with a tight, close hug. She relaxed against Elliot, savoring the feel of his head resting on top of hers. They didn't need to discuss what just happened; it was unspoken as were most of the things in their relationship.

"I promise I won't. Never again" he smiled against her hair, brushing it back behind her ear. He was home.


	10. Chapter 10

"I can't feel my body" Gemma giggled in a sing song voice as her pain medication started working at the hospital.

"You've got a death wish kid" Charlie had shown up at the hospital just as they were admitting her, and he had not been happy. He ranted and raved to Cragen about how if they were going to take his partner at least they could keep her safe, but Charlie was easily appeased once he got word that Gemma had gotten the guy that had long since evaded them. He couldn't wait to praise her, he was so proud of this kid.

"No, I just wanted to help my friend…she's pretty" she giggled.

Charlie looked at Munch, sizing up the guy who Gemma had been alluding to for the past few months. "They've got her pretty doped up, huh?" Charlie laughed as Gemma's eyes followed a fly around the room.

"Yeah, we could get some really good information right about now. Percocet is like truth serum" Munch joked, not moving from her side.

"Really?...Gemma who's more attractive, me or Elliot?" Charlie laughed.

"Mmmm…You are, but you're gay so that won't work. Olivia loves Elliot…" she giggled again, tried to take a drink but spilled.

Munch laughed, holding up the cup for her, putting the straw to her lips. She took a drink and laid back.

"Okay let me try again. Gemma who's your best friend?"

"I don't have one…too much work. Elliot is very nice to Gemma, but he loves Olivia. Oh, oh, Charlie I have someone I like! We do crossword puzzles together and talk about aliens. I like him a lot Charlie…He's very sad…but I like him…He should kiss me, that would be nice" She was going to continue but Charlie shushed her.

"I think you just got your answers" Charlie reached out his hand to shake Munch's, offering a word of caution "You're a Sergeant, but she's my partner"

"No worries, I'll take care of her" Munch promised him, and for the first time in a long time, he felt good about what he was promising.

"Hey…you're going to stay right?" she looked up at him, her good hand grabbing his and squeezing.

"Of course I am" he settled into the chair beside her bed and tried to rest.


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey El, come on up" Olivia was cooking dinner in her apartment; this was a special night in her mind. She and Elliot had been together for almost six months (sometimes going on double dates with Munch and Gemma), and they were taking things so slowly as to not spook each other. Sometimes it was strange when they were together and they found themselves flirting shamelessly and felt the compulsive need to stop and back paddle. One of them usually laughed and made an off the collar remark and things were smooth again. She had felt terrible about leaving Brian, but surprisingly he had taken it well saying that he always knew somewhere that she loved Elliot more than anyone else.

He made his way over her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. "Hey, I missed you". She felt him smile against her shoulder which instantly triggered her to laugh. He turned her around and kissed her forehead. She positioned herself closer to him, feeling all the stress wash away. She rarely had a moment where her mind wasn't clouded with work, cases or death but when she was with Elliot he helped share the burden and it was easy. He was different now, mellower, and he actually cared what she had to say. They worked through problems together, were able to talk and be themselves. Their relationship was natural and unlike anything that she had ever had before.

"Kiss me already" she leaned forward, feeling the heat between them.

He smiled, that face splitting grin that automatically made her smile. He was beyond elated that she had taken him back; he was the luckiest man alive. Every day was better than the last, and even though they still had their famous fights, the ending of the fight was way better than before; now they didn't have to walk around awkwardly fighting off the tension. Now, they tried to talk it out, or just make out.

Their lips met, slow fire spreading down her arms. She was ready to take that next step and she felt that Elliot was too. He started kissing her neck whispering something in her ear, he was taking a chance in saying this and it might backfire totally but he had to do it. He felt the warmth spreading in his chest, the adrenaline making his hair stand on end and his hands tremble.

"I love you Liv, so much"…

She felt her eyes welling up. She had known for years that he loved her, but now she knew the extent. She knew that it was a different kind of love now; their love had transformed from friendship to a deep partnership now to romantic love and more. For the first time she was allowing herself to be completely uninhibited because Elliot already knew all the worst things about her and he was still here.

"I love you too…always" she felt herself choke up

He held her face in his hands and they kissed again, passion growing and finally allowed to be embraced. He continued kissing her, pulling her shirt off over her head and letting himself take her in. She smiled, casting her eyes down and tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You're beautiful" he murmured, tracing his fingers down her chest and her stomach, stopping at her jean button. He looked in her eyes, silently asking for permission. She put her hands over his and together they unbuttoned the jeans. She pulled the hem of his shirt up and over his head, showing off the sculpted chest that she had seen so many times but was now able to admire. She mimicked Elliot's movements and he helped her unbutton his jeans.

"Come with me, please" she whispered against his ear, pulling him towards the bedroom.

His heart was racing, he had so much apprehension but he was excited. He was finally going to make love to her but he didn't want it to be cheap and tawdry. He was sure she could get rowdy in the bedroom, but right now he wanted it to be sweet and slow.

She flipped Elliot over, and started kissing each and every scar, remembering the moments that each of them happened. The knife marks from that idiot Stuckey, the bullet mark from Bushido as well as the racists, and she giggled when she saw the mark from where Dana had shot him by proxy. She wiggled out of her panties, slowly slid Elliot's down, wanting to prolong this moment since she had thought about it for years even though she would never admit it.

"Are you ready Liv?" he was ready but he didn't want to rush her

"More than ever" she positioned herself on top of him and slowly lowered herself down.

He inhaled and had to talk himself down and make himself go slow and enjoy this. Olivia felt the tears coming; she was being assaulted with so many emotions all at once. She realized how much she loved Elliot, how horribly she missed him and just how wonderfully they fit together.

"Never leave me again" she begged him

"Forever Liv" he uttered back, as he came pulling her as close to him as he could and memorizing the feel of her body against his. She rolled off and found her spot against his side feeling secure and perfectly content for the first time in a long while.


	12. Chapter 12

Gemma wasn't used to feeling open around anyone. She never dated long enough to get comfortable with someone. She didn't want to show a single person her flaws, her idiosyncrasies or more importantly her bed head. But in the six months since the situation with Robinson she had shown everything to one person: John Munch; and he hadn't run away. In fact he had reciprocated and dare she say it? They had fallen in love.

Unlike Olivia and Elliot who had known each other for years, which had cultivated their relationship and hid their feelings and were just now figuring out how to show them; Munch and Gemma were discovering emotions that neither knew they were capable of having and it was weird to be able to talk about them.

Munch spent the first few months waiting for a crazy side to come out, or an inkling that something was wrong but nothing had came. Gemma was sweet, intelligent and had a hope in humanity that he didn't have and he sincerely appreciated it; and the part that he found most unbelievable was that she didn't see any of this in herself. She was a fortress and she was slowly letting down her wall to let him in. While they shared their love of conspiracy theories, she believed in the good of people and her favorite thing to tell him was that "sometimes you just have to have faith". Her optimism was enlightening, but he wondered how long it would take before the job took that from her; before the job took her from him.

She walked into her bedroom, wearing a red bra and matching red and white polka dot bottoms. He walked over and enveloped her in a hug; she was so mind blowingly sexy to him. She smiled against his chest and squeezed back.

"So, now we're a 'real' couple right, going on a vacation together?" she looked up at him and was gifted with a kiss.

"I guess so, does that scare you?" he lowered his hands to the small of her back, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin.

She thought about it for a second then replied confidently "No, it'll be great. You know I must love you if I'm letting you surprise me"

As soon as the words left her mouth she took a deep breath as if trying to bring them back in. She hadn't yet told him that she loved him and that was how she did it? Stupid Gemma, 150 IQ and that's how you tell him? He laughed, tracing circles on her back. He had known for a while that he loved her and that the feeling was reciprocal but that they were both waiting, waiting for what he wasn't sure. But, he was happy that it happened at this moment.

"I want to surprise you with what I have planned because I love you too" he kissed her forehead and felt her physically relax against him.

"That wasn't the way that I wanted to tell you" she complained

"It was perfectly imperfect, just like us" he realized that would sound cheesy but he didn't care because it was the only things he could think of that summed up their odd relationship. Gemma was young still, nearly thirty and Munch was…well, older. Many suspicions had been raised when word had first gotten out that they were dating, mostly from the people around their precinct. Fin had just shook his head and wished him the best of luck. Rollins and Amaro hadn't been around long enough to really get to know Munch, but they knew Gemma and with all of the other romance in the air they just gave in to it.

Munch had been talking with Elliot one night during a double date and he and Elliot both discovered that they had found the loves of their lives and they wanted to make it real. Olivia and Gemma were both walls to be breached; Elliot and Munch were the chisels. The girls had become close friends, bringing Elliot and Munch closer together too. The surprise that Munch and Elliot had planned together had been completely behind the girls' backs and they were really proud of themselves. Munch was trying to hurry Gemma along so that they could get to their double date with Elliot and Liv and finally tell the secret.

"Hurry up, you're beautiful already" he swatted her butt; as much as he loved to see her nearly naked they did need to get going.

"You know you like it" she teased, shaking herself a little before putting on her clothes.


	13. Chapter 13

"El, what's the surprise?" Olivia was getting antsy, waiting in Central Park with Elliot that night. They had a full spread of food but he had been intent on waiting for something.

"Take a look" he pointed to their left where he saw Munch and Gemma walking towards them.

"Gemma is my surprise?" she asked incredulously, waving excitedly at her nonetheless.

"No, but that's part of it" he kissed her cheek.

"Hey Liv, El, you're my surprise?" she asked with the same amount of enthusiasm as Olivia.

Gemma gave Olivia a hug and punched Elliot in the shoulder.

"Testy aren't we?" Elliot asked sarcastically.

Munch pulled out a map and Elliot pulled out a paper with some clues on it. Gemma and Olivia gave each other a look and waited for the explanation. Elliot told them that they had to put the clues together to get the answer of the surprise. Gemma and Olivia were both smart women and it took them little time to figure out the surprise. A joint trip to Cancun and then Munch and Gemma would travel to New Mexico for some alien hunting while Liv and Elliot stayed in Cancun enjoying some alone time. What the women didn't know was the surprise that Elliot and Munch had planned once they got to their destination.


End file.
